Carpet sweeper



Juney 16, 1942. A. H. HABERSTUMP CARPET SWEEPER Filed May '4, 1958 3 Sheets-Sheet l INVENTOR AL FR E D H.

June 16, 1942. A. H. HABERs'ruMP.

CARPET SWEEPER Filed May 4, 19:58.

3 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTORl Ammo ATTORY `H. HABERST U/7\P Jne 16, 1942. A. HABERSTUMP 2,286,270

CARPET `SWEEPER Filed May 4, 1938 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 Patented June 16, 1942 CARPET SWEEPER Alfred H. Haberstump, Detroit, Mich., assigner to The Murray Corporation of America, Detroit, Mich., acorporation of Delaware Application May 4, 1938, Serial No. 205,907

7 Claims.

This invention relates to carpet sweepers.

It is the general object of the invention to provide a compact and simplied carpet sweeper having a ridged sheet metal casing terminating in a handle portion and having only two wheels.

A more specific object of the invention is to provide an improved means for dumping the refuse collected in the sweeper.

Another object is to provide improved means for mounting and driving the rotatable sweeping brush.

Another object is to provide improved means to direct the dust and refuse from the brush to a single rearwardly disposed dust collector regardless of the direction of rotation of the brush.`

Another object of the invention is to provide a two wheeled carpet sweeper having means to .permit tilting of the casing without affecting the sweeping action.

Another object of the invention is to provide a carpet sweeper having a novel form of supporting and brush driving wheel.

A further object of the invention is to provide an improved rotatable brush construction in a carpet sweeper characterized by the fact that the bristles are movable radially with respect to the axis of the brush to vary the sweeping pressure.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will :become apparent from the following specilications, the accompanying drawings and the appended claims.

In the drawings:

Figure 1 shows a fragmentary plan view of the carpet sweeper;

Figs. 2 and 3 show a cross-section and an elevation of the handle of the sweeper, Fig. 2 being taken on the line 2 2 of Fig. 3;

Fig. 4 is a longitudinal sectional view of the sweeper;

Fig. 5 is a longitudinal sectional view showing the drive mechanism for the sweeping brush;

Fig. 6 is a section taken on the line 6 6 of Fig. 5;

Fig. '7 shows a modified form of drive mechanism;

Fig. 8 is a section taken on the line 8 8 of Fig. 7

Fig. 9 shows a further modified form of drive mechanism;

Fig. 10 is a sectional I0 II| of Fig. 9;

Fig. 11 is a transverse section taken through a modified form of sweeper brush;

Fig. 12 is a section taken on the line I2 I2 Of Fig. 11; l

view taken on the line Fig. 13 is a Afragmentary perspective View of the brush structure shown in Figs. 11 and 12;

Fig. 14 is a transverse sectional view similar to Fig. '11, but of a further `modified form of brush;

Fig. 15 is a sectional view similar to Fig. 4, showing in modified form a vane constructionjfor directing refuse into the collection compartment.

As shown best in Figs. 1 to 4 inclusive, the sweeper of the `present invention is formed of a sheet metal casing indicated generally at I0. The top I2 andthe sides I3 of the casing IIJ vare stamped from a single sheet ,of metal having a downwardly turned iront wall I 4 of relatively great width and tapering rearwardly to a partially cylindrical flange .I-5. The top wall I2 yof the 'casing is relatively fiat but may be modified to a slight .extent as bysteps .I6 Vand I'I for purposes of ornamentation. The rearward half of the casing is closed at the bottom by a bottom plate 20 having upstanding side flanges ZI which telescope within and are welded to the side walls I3 of the .top casing member. Bottom member 20 likewise tapers rearwardly to a partially cylindrical flange 22 which together with flange .I5 forms a complete annular flange defining a socket for the reception of a .tubular handle member 24. The handle member is secured to the bottom plate 20 in any desired manner as .by metal screws l25. The casing `III between the forward edge of bottom member 20 and the front wall I4 is open at the bottom, .but Vthis opening is divided by transverse partition 26 which is .secured to the side walls I3 by means of ilanges 21, thus providing two openings in the .bottom of the casing extending transversely thereof.

The rearward opening in the bottom kof the casing between transverse partition 26 and the forward edge of bottom plate 20 is normally closed by plate 28 having upstanding side anges 30 at its ends which correspond in shape to and lit within the adjacent `portions of the side walls I3. Flanges 30 extend rearwardly over the forward edge of bottom .plate 20 at 32 and are then bent inw-ardly at l33 and downwardly at 34. 'The downward projections 32 are journaled on a crank shaft 35 which is journaled at its ends in flanges 2l of the bottom wall `2li and which is journaled intermediate its ends on a bracket 36. Thecrank shaft v35 is bent upwardly at 3'! adjacent each end just inwardly of the downwardly projecting extension 34 -of the ange 30 on `closure plate 28, and is secured -to Vthe extension v28 in any suitable manner, as by welding. At the midpoint of the `crank shaft it is again bent upwardly at 38 forming a crank arm. A spring 39 connects the upper end of crank arm 38 and an ear 40 on bracket 36 and normally urges the crank shaft 35 in a 4clockwise direction about its end and center pivots to hold the member 28 in closed position. A rod 4I having one end bent around the arm 38 on -crank shaft 35 extends upwardly through the tubular handle 241and projects at its upper end through a slot 42 formed near the upper end of the handle. The projecting end of rod 4I is bent into an eye 43 to facilitate engagement thereof by the operator. It is apparent that when the eye 43 is grasped and pushed downwardly in slot 42 the rod 4I will swing the plate 28 into open position. When the eye 43 is released, the spring 39 will swing the plate 28 back to the .position shown.

The side walls I3 of the casing opposite the forward opening between transverse partition 26 and forward wall I4 are provided with inwardly extending trunnions 45 fixedly secured to the l side walls by trunnion heads 46. An adjustable, partially cylindrical mouth-piece indicated generally at 41 is journaled on the trunnion heads 46. Member 41 is formed of a pair of partially cylindrical elements 48 and 49 having inwardly extending end flanges 58 and 5I, respectively, secured in overlapping relation to each other and journaled upon the heads 46 of trunnions 45. The lower edges of members 48 and 49 are curled outwardly at 52 and 53, respectively, to define s the margins of the mouth or opening through which the sweeper brush operates. Members 48 and 49 form a partially cylindrical member having a diameter approximately equal to the width of the forward opening in the bottom of the casin-g I9 with the result that the curled edges 52 and 53 will make contact with the bottom edge of wall I4 or the bottom edge of the transverse partition 26 to limit rotation of the mouth-piece 41 relative to the casing. Fig. 4 of the drawings shows the mouth-piece 41 in one of its extreme positions wherein the handle 24 of the sweeper is at its maximum angle with respect to the plane of the rug, indicated at 54, which is being swept. As the handle is lowered towards the floor the mouth-piece 41 may be rotated about the trunnion heads 46 to enable the brush to contact the rug through the restricted mouth.

The outer wall I3 is provided with inwardly directed annular ribs 55 which have a frictional engagement with the end wall 56 of the mouthpiece 41 for holding the mouth-piece in adjusted position. The sweeper is supported by means of a pair of molded rubber wheels 56 having a sponge rubber tread 51 bonded thereto.

Each of the wheels is secured to a sleeve 58 journaled upon one of the trunnions 45 and projecting inwardly therefrom. A brush formed of a cylindrical member 58a carrying a plurality of rows of bristles 59 is provided at its ends with supporting shafts 69 which are journaled in the inner projecting ends of the sleeves 58. As best shown in Fig. 6, one of the brush supporting shafts 69 is slidably mounted within an axial bore 6I in brush cylinder 58 and is urged outwardly by means of a coil spring 62. A slot 63 in brush member 58 and a pin 64 on the shaft 60, which is received in slot 63, limit outward axial movement of the shaft 6D relative to the bore 6I. As a result of this arrangement, when it is desired to remove the brush, it may be pushed to the right as viewed in Fig. 6 to release the left hand shaft 66 from its sleeve 58, such movement being accompanied and permitted by a compression of spring 62 and a movement of pin 64 in slot 63.

discharged into the interior of casing I9.

As shown best in Fig. 4, the extremities of the bristles 59 project slightly beyond the periphery of the wheels 56 and the wheels and brush project to a slight extent from the mouth-piece 41 for engagement with the space to be swept. The bottom edges 52 and 53 are suiliciently close to the space which is being swept to insure that any dust or other debris picked up by the brush will be carried upwardly within the mouth-piece and A deflector 66 secured to the side walls I3 of the casing by a flange 61 is provided for defiecting dust and debris discharged by the brush when the latter is rotating counter-clockwise as viewed in Fig. 4. The forward edge of the plate 66 should be positioned as close as possibl-e to the ends of the bristles of the brush and may actually Contact them if desired.

The means for driving the brush is best shown in Figs. 5 and 6. This means comprises an internal -gear 68 carried by one of the wheels 56, a gear 69 fixedly carried by the brush shaft 60 and an intermediate idler gear 19 journaled on a pin 1I carried by a bracket 12 having a flange 13 secured to the top wall of the casing ID. It will be apparent that as the sweeper is pushed along the floor, the gearing will cause the brush to rotate in a direction opposite to that in which the wheels turn, thus augmenting the sweeping effect. Regardless of the direction of rotation of the brush, the dust and debris picked up will be discharged into the interior of the casing rearwardly of the transverse partition 26 and will tend to collect upon plate 28 from which it may be discharged. When the brush 59 rotates in a clockwise direction, the particles picked up thereby are thrown off over the upper surface of the baille 66, and when rotated in the opposite direction the particles picked up thereby will be thrown against the underside of the baille, and the direction of the movement thereof reversed so that in both instances the particles will be deposited in the plate 28. The sponge rubber tread 51 on the wheels provides superior traction for driving the brush and at the same time insures that the wheels will not mar any surface upon which they roll. It is apparent that, if desired, identical drive mechanism may be provided on both of the wheels of the sweeper.

In Figs. 7 and 8 is shown a modied form of drive mechanism embodying the use of belts. In this form the structure of the sweeper is similar to that described above except that the wheel 88 is formed of a pair of complemental metal stampings defining a peripheral groove 8I adapted to receive a belt. A shaft 83 journaled on the casing carries a pair of pulleys 84 and 85 and the brush shaft 86 is provided with a pulley mounted in the same plane with pulley 85. A belt 88 connects wheel with pulley 84 and a crossed belt 89 connects pulleys 85 and 81. It will be observed that the belt 88 which is preferably formed of rubber, has a flat outer surface which forms thetread of the wheel 89. Since one of the belts is crossed, the brush shaft 86 will rotate in a direction opposite to that of which the wheel 86 rotates.

In Figs, 9 and 10 is shown a further modified form of drive mechanism in which only one belt is used. This form of the invention is likewise similar to that shown in Figs. 1 to 6` inclusive except that the wheel 99 is formed of a pair of complemental stampings forming a peripheral groove 9I adapted to receive a belt. A pair of idler pulleys 92 and 93 are independently journaled upon the casing and a pulley 94 isl fixedly secured to the brush shaft 95. A single belt 96 is trained about the periphery of wheel S and thence in succession around the pulley 93, pulley 94, and pulley 92. In this form of drive mechanism, as in that shown in Figs. 7 and 8, the belt 96 forms the floor contacting tread of the wheel 90 and the brush shaft 95 is rotated in a direction opposite to that in which the wheel rotates. If desired or necessary, the planes in which pulleys 92 and 93 rotate may be inclined slightly toward the plane of wheel 93 to prevent the belt from running oif the pulleys.

In Figs. 11 to 13 inclusive is shown a modified form of rotatable brush having resilient means for urging the bristles outwardly into engagement with the surface to be swept. This form of brush comprises a shaft |00 journaled in its ends in sleeves |02 which are similar in construction and arrangement to the sleeves 58 shown in Fig. 6. A drivinggear |63 similar to the gear 60 in Fig. 6 is mounted on the shaft |00 adjacent sleeves |62. Mounted upon shaft |00 at each end thereof is a circular plate |64 having a central shaft-receiving hub |65 xedly secured to the shaft. A plurality of channel members |06 extend between the plates |04 and are pivoted thereto by a pin |61 extending through a lever |68 which is formed by bending a wall of channel member |06 outwardly at right angles to the channel member. The extremity of lever |68 is bent inwardly at |69 and is provided with an aperture i6 to receive one end of a coil spring the opposite end of which is secured in an opening |2 on a tab ||3 bent outwardly from plate H34. As a result of this arrangement, the channel |65 is normally urged outwardly about pivot |61 by means of the spring Such outward movement is limited by a tab ||4 on plate |64, which tab overlies channel |06 in spaced relation to the periphery of plate |64. Channel |66 extends in a helical path between th-e end plates |34, one end being displaced radially with respect to the opposite end by an amount equal to the angular distance between adjacent channels |06. Sufficient clearance is provided in the pivots |23 to permit the limited movement of the levers |22. As best shown in Fig. 13, channel |06 is provided with inwardly extending flanges and at spaced intervals along the channel is crimped upon a tuft of bristles H6. Intermediate each tuft of bristles, channel |08 is crimped inwardly as at until flanges ||5 contact each other.

It is apparent that the form of brush just described will exert a resilient pressure upon the surface to be swept and that the proper degree of pressure for effective sweeping may be secured by properly proportioning spring l The resulting brush will automatically accommodate itself to the sweeping of rugs having naps of different depths.

In Fig. 14 is shown a further modied form of brush in which the pressure exerted by the brush upon the surface being swept is controlled by centrifugal force that is in proportion to the speed at which the sweeper is operated. This form of brush is similar to that shown in Figs. 11-13 except the bristle-carrying channels |20 which are pivoted to the end plates |2| by levers |22 and pins |23 are urged inwardly by coil spring |24 secured to levers |22 intermediate the pivot pin |23 and the channel |26. Clearance is provided between the levers and pins to permit the slight angular movement of the channel |20 between the plates |2|. Accordingly, the spring |24 tends to retract the bristles |25 carried in the channel |20. Tangs |26 formed on plates |2| have end portions |21 overlying the extremities of channels |20 in the manner shown in Fig. 13 and are extended at their opposite ends |28 until they overlie the extremities of levers |22. It is apparent that the ends |28 of tangs |26 limit radial inward movement of bristles |25 in response to the force exerted by springs |24. The opposite ends |21 of the tangs |26 permit a limited outward movement of the bristles |25 in response to a centrifugal force.

The advantage of the bristle structure shown in Fig. 14 is that the operator can control the sweeping pressure by controlling the speed at which the sweeper is operated. Thus it is found that if the sweeper does not produce the desired sweeping action on any given surface, the sweeping pressure may be varied by increasing or decreasing the speed at which the sweeper is moved across the surface.

vIt will be understood that the brushes shown in Figs. l1 to 13 inclusive may be substituted for the brush 58 shown in Figs. 1 to 6 without any other change in the mechanism, but that, if desired, any one of the three forms of b-rush disclosed may be driven by any of the drive systems herein disclosed without departing from the spirit or objects of the invention.

In Fig. 15 is shown a modified form of deflecting means for directing refuse discharged by the brush into the -dust compartment or space rearwardly of Wall 26. In this form of the invention a deflector |30 is provided which is similar to the dei-lector 66 previously described except that it is provided with an auxiliary plate |3| which is curved in the opposite direction and extends into proximity to the brush. This results in a deiiector construction which. is more effective in preventing dust from being carried past deflector |30 when the brush rotates in a clockwise direction. In addition, a pair of deflector or scraper blades |32 and 33 are provided on opposite sides of deflector |30 and assist in directing refuse and dust into the collection compartment. Preferably, blades |32 and |33 have their lower edges contacting the brush in order that they will tend to scrape refuse off the brush and cause the bristles to snap past the blades and discharge any residual refuse before they reach deflectors |30 and 3|. It will be understood that blades or deectors |30, |3|, |32 and |33 extend entirely across the brush from side to side of the casing.

While several forms of the invention are shown and described herein, it is apparent that others are available within the spirit of the invention and within the scope of the following claims.

What is claimed is:

1. In a carpet sweeper a casing having an opening therein, a handle fixedly secured to said casing, a rotatable sweeping brush journaled on said casing adjacent said opening on an axle at substantial right angles to said handle, wheels on said axle for driving said brush a substantial portion of which projects through said opening, and means pivotally carried by the casing at said opening for housing a portion of said projecting portion of said brush and Wheels, said means having a smaller opening through which said brush and wheels project for engagement with the object to be swept and said means being rotatable to enable contact to b-e made between the brush and the object to be swept for different angular said object.

2. In a carpet sweeper a casing having an open- A ing therein, a handle flxedly secured to said casing, a rotatable sweeping brush journaled on said casing adjacent said opening on an axle at substantial right angles to said handle, wheels on said axle for drivingsaid brush a substantial portion of which projects through said opening, means pivotally carried by the casing at said opening for housing a portion of said projecting portion of said brush and wheels, said means having a smaller opening through which said brush and Wheels project for engagement with the object to be swept and said means being rotatable to enable contact to be made between the brush and the object to be swept for different angular positions of said casing and handle relative to said object, and frictional means for resisting pivotal movements of said means relative to said casing.

3. In a carpet sweeper, a partially cylindrical member provided with a longitudinal slot, a rotatable brush having an axle journaled in said cylinder and projecting through said slot, wheels on said axle within said cylinder which also project through the slot thereof, a casing having an opening therein, said cylinder being journaled on said casing, and projecting radially through said opening with said slot exposed, means for conducting foreign material picked up and propelled by said brush into said casing, and a handle fixedly secured to said casing.

4. In a carpet sweeper, a casing, a pair of aligned inwardly projecting stub shafts fixedly carried by the casing, a sleeve journaled on each stub shaft and projecting inwardly therefrom, a brush shaft journaled at its ends in the inwardly projecting portions of said sleeves, a wheel carried by each sleeve, and driving means between one of said wheels and said brush shaft for rotating said brush shaft in a direction opposite to the rotation of the wheel.

5. In a carpet sweeper, a casing, a pair of axially aligned Wheels journaled on said casing, a brush shaft journaled coaxially of said wheels for rotation independently of the wheels, and driving means connecting one of said wheels and said brush shaft for rotating said brush shaft in a direction opposite to the rotation of said wheel, said driving means including a belt trained over one of said Wheels, and `defining afloor engaging tread for said wheel.

6. In a carpet sweeper, a casing, a pair of axially aligned wheels journaled on said casing, a brush shaft journaled coaxially of said wheels for rotation independently of the wheels, and driving means connecting one of said wheels and said brush shaft for rotating said brush shaft in a direction opposite to the rotation of said wheel, said driving means including an idler pulley shaft, a pair of pulleys on said shaft, a pulley on said brush shaft, a belt train-ed around one of said wheels and one of said idler shaft pulleys, and a second belt trained over the other idler shaft pulley and the pulley on said brush shaft, one of said belts being crossed.

7. In a carpet sweeper, a casing, a pair of axially aligned wheels journaled on said casing, a brush shaft journaled coaxially of said wheels for rotation independently of the Wheels, and driving means connecting one of said Wheels and said brush shaft for rotating said brush shaft in a direction opposite to the rotation of said Wheel, said driving means including a pair of idler pulleys journaled on said casing, a pulley on said brush shaft and a belt trained over said wheel and successively over one of said idler pulleys, the brush shaft pulley and the other idler pulley.

ALFRED H. HABERSTUMP. 

